The
pasttime of
fixing up,
renovating,
remodeling,
redecorating,
repairing, or otherwise
screwing with one's
house.
It is a never-ending battle against the forces of entropy.
Many homeowners actually find it rewarding and treat it as a hobby, spending entire weekends and evenings doing projects around the house.
I confess I fall in this category. We have painted, restored the garage, redid the kitchen and a bedroom, fixed the bathroom, and done countless other small repairs. I've lost track.
It's a very American sort of thing in my eyes, although I did see some good home improvement shows on the BBC, and there's a bit of the culture in Canada as well. In some countries, fixing up your house isn't a pasttime, it's survival, as in, "I fixed our corrugated metal roof so it doesn't leak and we don't get wet, catch a chill and die."